This very rare monoxilous sculpture is composed of an upper carved male gure sitting on a carved post. The surface of the post is decorated by cir- cular geometrical carvings representing aquatic elements. The base is engraved with plant motifs at the centre of which probably where inserted fragments of sea shells.

The cross-legged sitting gure holds its arms crossed on the knees. His face is nely sculpted. The stare towards the horizon reminds us of his protective role. His ears are pierced with rings and his headdress represents a sea shell. This ex- ceptional ancestor statue seems to be ruling over both the marine and terrestrial elements main- taining the equilibrium of the Nage community.

Originating in the northern part of the Nias Island of Indonesia, this effigy represents a high-ranking male character. The ancestor figure is wearing a serrated crown decorated with finely engraved fern motifs.

Ancestor statues were carefully kept inside the house, hanging by a window or placed on an altar. Their purpose is to receive the soul of the deceased and protect the household.

It is a mystery how the birth of this art came about and how it came to assume such a high position in the ancient Hawaiian culture. The crafting of wooden bowls far exceeded the functional requirements needed to serve their purpose.

Hawaiian bowls were made with meticulous attention to detail and refinement. Getting a perfect shape and figure of the wood was a primary objective. The making of a bowl was a long and careful procedure.

Bowls were not simply utilitarian but maintained in some religious and spiritual stature. There was a sense of tribute and respect for the wood, the process of creation and receiving of the fruits of such a creation.

This rare bowl of highly abstracted and geometric form has an elongated rectangular body with squared bottom. The sides are characteristically curved inward, the surface has a deep patina and signs of extensive wear and use.

The statuette represents an ithyphallic male figure, legs bent, one arm raised to the head the other arm is missing. The stylized face is characterized by a long straight nose, moustache and goatee and is topped with a ceremonial head dress.

This effigy represents a seated, ithyphallic, high-ranking male gure. The figure is very likely a headhunter given the two up- sided heads he firmly holds on his knees. A lizard, guardian animal, is represented at the front of the head dress.

The head hunting practices were based on the belief that the soul of the beheaded would serve their master in the spirit world. This belief made human skulls precious and coveted artefacts.

This sculpture was placed at one end of a slit gong drum called garamut. It is composed of three characters: a mythical ancestor and a crocodile supporting a new-born baby on their heads. This iconography repre- sents the importance of ancestors and guardian animals in the renewal of generations in the Sepik Region. This complex composition is carved in a single piece of wood proving the talent of the artist.

Garamut drums would mainly be used to communicate between villages and also be used to accompany traditional ceremonies or “sing-sings”. This object was collected on the Kaireru Islands by an American soldier during World War II.

The character is in a votive posture: knees bent and hands joined in a gesture of respect. The wide square- chinned face is characteristic of the Toba style. The long ears are carved in a stylised douple-spiral leaf motifs.

A round cavity is placed in the torso to receive a magical substance. Two thick dowels are thrusted on the right-hand side of the statue. The statue would protect the household and its inhabitants from diseases and malignant spirits.

This ithyphallic character was carved arved out of narra or ipil wood. This statue was very probably manipulated by hands drenched in the sacrificial blood of animals during rice crop rituals. With time, the blood from the offerings has given the statuette a dark and greasy patina.

The purpose of this statue for the Igorot tribes of northern Luzon Island (Phillipines) was to protect the rice fields. These statues are often stylised representations of ancestors and are the repository of their power.

This exceptional funerary sculpture representing a child with its mobile forearms in a votive posture. The head is round, finely sculpted ears and the double ark of the brows meet to form the bridge of the long straight nose. Its almond-shaped eyes are figures by embeded sea shells and its thin mouth is closed. A fabric sarong is wrapped around his hips.

Tao Tao statues accompanied the deceased from the funerary home to the resting ground where they would be erected as guardians of the ancestors. The Torajas worshiped these statues and presented them with offerings. The piece proposed here is very ancient and probably belonged to a high-ranking family.

The talipun is a woven ancestral figure attached to a sea snail shell. These artefacts would be used as money during important transactions such as dowry payments. A single dowry could count up to twenty talipun.

Carved out of narra or ipil wood. The character, probably a child, has pierced ears and his eyes are made from sea shells. With time, the blood from the offerings has given the statuette a dark and greasy patina.

This wooden statue represents a seated male figure holding a mortar in his arms. This type of statues were used by the Ifugao people of northern Luzon to keep their rice fields safe from harm. These statues are often stylised representations of ancestors and are the repository of their power.

This exceptional votive board would have been exhibited in the house reserved to men and used in initiation ceremonies. These ritual boards, usually placed next to skull racks, would keep diseases and malignant spirits away.

This beautiful artifact must have been used as a piece of a weaving loom. An ancestor gure sits at the top of this tool. Subtle plant motifs are engraved under the seated character give us a glimpse of the talent of the artist who realised this work.